The Fire Fox
by twilitprincess
Summary: When the Hei Bai captures Sokka, he is sent into the spirit world and meets a mysterious spirit known among people as the fire fox. and no the spirit is not a MOZILLA firefox R&R The story is better than the summary for sure!
1. Prologue

**My first Avatar fanfic! It's about Sokka, my favorite character. Hope you enjoy it and flamers will be CHEWED UP and SPIT OUT. Have a nice day!**

"That's it, he needs help!"

"Sokka, wait!"

Sokka turned away from his sister and rushed out into the small village with his boomerang in hand. Aang was standing pathetically in front of the large black and white monster, looking confused and shocked at Sokka's sudden appearance.

"Hei Bai! Over here!" Sokka yelled bravely and flung the boomerang with all of his might at the gigantic spirit. The weapon merely bounced on the beast's leg and clattered pathetically onto the ground. He clenched his teeth in frustration and jogged over to where Aang was.

"Sokka! Go back!" He yelled in a panic, motioning for his friend to return to the safety of the house. Sokka wasn't listening.

"We'll fight him together, Aang." Sokka told his friend, determination flickering in his eyes.

"I don't wanna fight him unless I-!"

Suddenly, there was a rush of air and Aang wasn't in front of him anymore. Instead, the woods were flying by in a blur. He looked up into the face of the giant monster in terror.

As realization struck him, his eyes widened in fear. Trees sped by as the spirit ran faster and faster. Suddenly, he spotted Aang's glider through the trees.

"Aang! Over here!" He called desperately. Aang darted around the trees and rose higher into the sky. Sokka watched helplessly. Then, the grown trees disappeared and the burnt part of the forest surrounded them…the scar.

"Help!" Sokka yelled again, a feeling of dread trickling down his spine like ice-cold water. Sokka could barely hear Aang's response over the rushing wind in his ears. The glider drew closer. Aang reached for the warrior, eyes focused in careful concentration.

Sokka grunted and stretched his arm as far as he could. So close…so close…

Got it!

But as soon as he grabbed Aang's hand, it faded away. Sokka screamed as the world went dark around him.


	2. The Spirit World

Sokka squirmed frantically against the Hei Bai's grip. The monster growled as Sokka looked around for any sign of Aang…for any sign of life.

"Where are you taking me?!" Sokka shouted, but it echoed all around him.

Suddenly, the spirit that was holding him gave an angry roar.

"Okay, I'll shut up." Sokka squeaked, thinking he had made the beast angry. But Hei Bai was stamping its feet angrily and looking off into the darkness. There was a long moment of silence…

All of the sudden, a blast of fire shot out of the darkness. Hei Bai screeched angrily and fell back, dropping Sokka in the process. The water tribe boy went tumbling through the darkness, screaming. Sooner than he expected, he crash-landed in a pond of dirty water.

"ICKKK!!!" He yelled and ran around, trying to get the muck off of himself. "Maybe I should have just stayed with my friend Hei Bai." Sokka said sarcastically and proceeded to laugh at his own joke.

Then he took a moment to observe his surroundings. He was in a pale swamp. The water was brown and dirty and the trees were gnarled and huge. _Where the heck am I…? _He wondered, confused. Surely this wasn't the forest…this was a swamp, not a woodland.

He tried to get up, but was pulled back down by a vine tangled around his legs. He reached for his boomerang to cut it up, but his hand met with air. He silently cursed himself for being so stupid, not picking up his boomerang again when he went to support Aang. He spent a good couple of minutes trying to get the slimy plants off of him.

"Stupid vines!" He scowled, ripping one apart angrily as he freed his foot. There was a tug on his ponytail and he looked up to see another vine beginning to wrap around it. He gave a high-pitched scream. "Not my warrior's wolf tail! That's…err…not a ponytail."

He yanked his ponytail out of the vine's grasp, then began to charge through the undergrowth as the plants followed in pursuit.

At one point, he splashed out into a muggy clearing and collapsed in the water, panting. He had gotten away. "This is just a dream…please wake up…" He mumbled.

"You might want to show more respect for the spirit world." Came a voice. Sokka looked up to see a baboon meditating on a dirt mound.

Sokka gave a weak smile of relief and got up to walk over to the baboon. "Yep, that just about does it. I'm pretty convinced this is a dream. I must have hit my head when Hei Bai dropped me and now I'm seeing monkeys dressed likes monks that are talking."

The baboon opened one of his eyes to glare at Sokka. "Believe what you want, but you will find this is not a dream." Then he closed his eye once more and resumed his activity.

Sokka narrowed his eyes. He didn't like this guy—dream or no dream. He picked up a stick and poked him.

"What are you doing?!" The baboon said angrily, both eyes open and angry.

"Poking you with a stick. What's it look like I'm doing?" Sokka replied flatly.

"Go away!" The primate said, shooing him.

"Come on! Just tell me what's going on here!" Sokka said angrily, his eye twitching slightly. The monkey arched an eyebrow.

"You are in the spirit world. Now…go away."

Sokka let out a furious groan. The bushes shifted behind him. He turned around. More vines…? Or was Hei Bai back for more?

The wind began to pick up. Sokka's whimpered and looked to the baboon for help. The baboon concealed his smirk and said in a fierce voice, "The spirits are angry! You must get away from here! Run! RUN!"

Sokka didn't wait to hear more, but took off running in a random direction through the swamp. Enma, the baboon, chuckled to himself. "Finally." Then he went back to meditating…

Sokka gasped for air as he shoved through the overhanging vines. "Help!" He shouted to no one in particular, "There's a crazy spirit monster chasing me and he's gonna eat my spleen!!!!" At that remark, a low rumbling arose from behind him and the wind picked up even more. He shrieked and ran faster.

His arms flailed out in front of him as he shoved aside undergrowth. The wind whistled in his ears and he wondered if he was losing it yet. He took one moment to glance back and…WHAM!!!

He ran into an overhanging limb and fell to the ground. "Oww…" He groaned, his world spinning around him. He struggled to his feet, his head pounding, some blood trickling out of his nose. The wind had died down. The ferocious noise had ended. But now he was hopelessly lost…

"At least I'm safe!" He declared.

There was a huge roar and he was surrounded in a ring of fire. He fell back to the ground. He opened his mouth to scream, but before he could make a sound, he was engulfed in flame….


	3. The Fire Fox

Sokka braced himself as the fire surrounded him.

_This is it! I'm so dead…_

His last thought reverberated throughout his body. The flames lapped at his legs. "No!" He yelled as the fire swarmed up his body and surrounded every part of him. He was ready to feel the burning sensation of fire throughout his bones…but nothing happened.

He opened his eyes and looked around curiously. The fire was all over him…but it wasn't burning him at all. "What's going on?" He wondered.

A playful laugh echoed all around him. The fire wavered next to him a moment longer before it broke away from him and came together in front of his face. After a couple seconds, the flames cleared, and he took in the strange creature in front of him.

A large ball of fire seemed to be standing in front of him at first glance. But upon closer inspection, it was really fire in the form of a fox. As the flames died down, the shape of a fox was easier to see. The fox—or the flame—was bright orange with streaks of red. A long bushy tail that sparked with fire whipped out from the back. Two graceful wings unfolded from the body of heat. The figure stood in front of him, its body burning.

It was a sight to behold, the beautiful fire fox standing in front of him. Two spots on the fire opened up and shimmered golden. The bright, pupiless eyes observed Sokka, studying him for a full minute while he stared in amazement. The fox lifted its soft muzzle slowly…

"HAHA I GOT YOU!!!"

Sokka fell over. "What?!" It was like a thought exploding into his head, but he did not think it by himself. It was as if someone had drilled a hole in his head and forced in their own thoughts.

The fox paced around Sokka, ears pricked, eyes shining. "You called me a monster. And on top of that, you called me a guy, so I wanted to get back at you. Plus you owe me an apology." Her mouth was moving, yet he was hearing this spirit talk to him. Her words were his thoughts.

"What the heck is going on?" Sokka demanded. "I'D LIKE SOME ANSWERS HERE!"

The fox bristled. "What's your problem?" She hissed.

"MY problem? Well, Fox, my problem is I was kidnapped by a spirit monster, dragged into the spirit world, met some ugly monkey, and now you're here and you're making things worse! Not exactly my day, is it?"

The fox let out a long sigh. "My name isn't Fox. It's Chihu. Call me Chi…or Hu…or Fluffy--whatever…I don't care. I never get to talk to people much…that's why I rescued you from Hei Bai."

Sokka's eyes widened. "That was you? Are you the one that burned down the forest too?"

Chihu let out a small hiss. "Of course not! I'm a good spirit and I would never do that! You saw for yourself it was Fire Nation."

Sokka narrowed his eyes. "I see…but surely you're on Fire Nation's side in the war? Considering you're made of…um…fire."

The Fire Fox snorted. "I'm a _spirit_, Sokka. Don't ask me these sort of things."

"Well, okay—hey! How did you know my name?"

Chihu giggled and bounded away, disappearing through a tangle of brush. Sokka blinked.

_What now…?_

"Come on, dummy!" Came a taunt through the swamp. Sokka rolled his eyes. Hmm…seek out Hei Bai again, go make friends with the ugly baboon, or stick with this fox spirit? He shrugged and followed his newfound friend.

When he pushed through some more bushes, he found himself in a grassy clearing.

"Over here!" Chihu called, sending the strange thought sensation through his brain. Sokka looked over to the far end of the clearing where the fox leaped at a tree, spread her blood red wings and neatly glided to a higher branch. "Try and get me if you can!" She teased. Sokka groaned.

"Come on! You have wings!" He accused. Chihu just laughed. "Look…" Sokka tried to stay calm, but he didn't want to hang around and play tag. He wanted to get right down to business and get back to his own world. "I'd like to get back to my own world—the real world—and see if my friends are okay. If you can't help me, I guess I'll just go figure things out on my own. See ya." He waved and turned to go.

But when he turned around, she was sitting on her haunches in front of him.

"GAH!" He squealed and nearly tripped over her.

"You're missing the point completely."

"What point?" Sokka asked, trying to keep from losing his sanity.

"I can help you get back."

"Well let's go." Sokka said and waited for her to go somewhere.

She shuffled her bright orange paws. "It's just…not that easy."

Sokka lifted an eyebrow and waited for her to continue.

"The portal out of here…I can't open it. Only two others currently in this realm can open it. Hei Bai can, but if we try to go find him, he'll probably end up getting really mad at me for attacking him and probably try to kill you."

"No killing, please. Who's the other one?"

Her eyes narrowed to yellow slits. "Koh." She whispered. "The face-stealer."


	4. The Plan

**I love cliffhangers**

**I love making cliffhangers but I hate being cliffhanged. LOL! Thanks to the reviewers and everyone else who has taken the time to click on this story. I started a story on Super Smash Bros. So I might not be putting these up for a while. At least, not till I get back into Avatar again. There's one more chapter after this that I can put up…**

**By the way, if you were wondering, Chihu is the Chinese combination of the word flame and fox. I thought it was kind of cute and simple.**

**Now for the next chapter…**

"FACE-STEALER?!" Sokka shouted in disbelief.

Chihu bowed her head. "Yes. Koh and I go way back…he won't be too pleased to see me, but I have a plan so he can open the exit for you."

"FACE-STEALER?!"

"I know…it's really scary, but-!"

"FACE-STEALER?!"

"You really need to stop doing that!" Chihu snapped.

"Sorry." Sokka said quickly. "We need a plan. We should trick the baboon and offer him fruit on one condition: if he goes and talks the face-stealer-dude into opening the exit. Then we can jump in really fast and he won't know what hit him! Plus, if we're really lucky Cocoa might steal the monkey's face…"

Chihu snorted. "His name is Koh. And I already have a plan so you can't get your face stolen and get back to your friends."

Sokka quieted down and looked at the spirit seriously. "Okay. Let's hear it."

Chihu began to pad through the bushes, Sokka following close behind.

"I'll go convince Koh to open the exit. I'll bring him here so he can do it…but you have to be careful. Hide in the bushes until it is completely open. Then get out of there as fast as you can! Or else he will steal your face. See, my plan is so much better…"

"Wow…" Sokka said quietly. "So if he sees me he'll just…steal it?"

"Not exactly. You must be extremely careful not to show any emotion. If the slightest expression crosses your face while your fleeing, he will be upon you almost instantly."

"Got it. Show no emotion…don't worry, I'll do my best."

A moment of silence passed between the two. Sokka fearlessly spoke up. "You know a lot about this guy! What do you do, stalk him?" He joked.

Emotion flooded Chihu's shining eyes. "I have seen him steal many faces…"

Sokka shut up. "Um…how about we talk about something else? What's it like here in the spirit world?"

"It's pretty good." Chihu said happily. "There are many different realms. This is just one of them! Plus, the spirits can go to the real world sometimes. I could go now, but I couldn't take you with me." She flattened her ears regretfully.

"Hmm…I've never heard about you in the real world."

"I haven't been to the real world in a while, but I used to be known many years ago. I was called the fire fox."

"Gee, I wonder why." Sokka smiled slightly.

They stopped. "We're here." They were at the exit were Enma was sitting. Chihu pointed to the exit with her tail, then traced it over to a clump of bushes and vines. "That's where you'll be hiding. As soon as Koh opens it, make a run for it."

Sokka nodded, but doubt shown on his face. "What if I get tangled in the vines?"

"Show respect for them and they will show respect for you." Chihu told him.

He walked over slowly and ducked down into them. Perfect! There was no way Koh would spot him. He peeked out and gave an encouraging thumbs-up to his friend.

"Next time we meet I will have Koh with me." She said quietly. "Please be careful…" The fox turned away and spread her wings. The next moment, she was soaring away through the trees.

Sokka looked around. Suddenly, he felt really nervous. What if the plan didn't work? What if Chihu couldn't convince Koh to come or Hei Bai turned up? What if a face was lost in the process?

He began to chew his nails nervously. There had to be a backup plan. There just had to! Sokka parted the bushes a bit and called over to Enma.

"Hey you! I've got a nice bit of banana in my pocket…"


	5. The Shadows of the Past

**This is probably the last chapter for a while. It gives you more background on Chihu, going back and forth between past and present. Too bad it kind of leaves you hanging. O.o Thanks again for reading and reviewing! Sorry I didn't put this up sooner, even though I had it.  
**

_Chihu streaked along the forest floor, panting loudly. Blood pounded in her ears, as she continued her desperate race through the trees. Glancing over her shoulder, she listened deeply for any sound. A crackling made its way toward her._

_She began to run faster; ears back as she darted through the woods. She jumped over a fallen limb and took flight, dodging around trees and branches. Her wing struck the tough bark of a tree. She fell to the ground, shaking her head in pain._

_The rustling was louder now. She looked up in alarm. A large brown creature was making its way towards her. She scrambled to her feet and began to charge through the undergrowth once more. She flapped her wings desperately, but it was no use._

_The other spirit bore down upon her, battering her with wing and talon. She let out a furious shriek._

"_No fair! You cheated!" She giggled playfully. _

_A large speckled owl beat its wings a few times before alighting upon a protruding branch of a nearby tree. _

"_How did I cheat?" It hooted deeply. "I won fair and square!" _

_Chihu got up and kneaded her paws on the ground. "Well…you're a better flier than me! And you used that to your advantage. How about we have a running match instead?"_

"_I can't run well." The owl narrowed its orb-like eyes._

"_Come on! Just play anyway! That way it'll be fair!" The fox pleaded._

"_Okay, but you have to catch me first!" The owl laughed, springing off the branch to glide away from his friend._

_Chihu nearly fell over, but composed herself and raced after him shouting angrily, "Wait! Mi Peng, wait for me!" _

Chihu pushed her way through the tangled jungle, shouldering aside ferns and stepping delicately over puddles. She looked to her left. A long burn mark ran down the tree. Most of the bark had healed itself, but there was still a long scar down the trunk.

She lowered her eyes. "I'm sorry…"

"_What's wrong Chihu? Did the spirit wolf say something?" _

"_Yes!" Chihu snarled. "I'm sick of everyone treating me like I have problems! Just because I-!"_

"_You don't have problems." Mi Peng interrupted. "You're an amazing spirit Chihu…I just want you to know that."_

"_Yeah, well the other spirits don't think I'm so amazing after all that I've done." She said savagely. The owl shook its head wisely._

"_Chihu…even you have the power to change your destiny."_

_Not responding, Chihu lashed out at a nearby tree, striking it with a whip of fire. The flame scorched the tree. She turned away and ran from the owl into the woods…_

Going through the forest seemed to last a lifetime. The trees of this spirit realm held many memories for Chihu. Some good, some bad…but mostly bad.

"_I hate playing in this realm. Can't we go somewhere else?" Chihu asked her friend as they explored through the swamp one day._

"_I know you don't like Koh or the spirit wolf living around here, but we're not going anywhere near the Tree Cave, so just cool it and air out your wings a bit." Mi Peng replied, fluttering around the disturbed Chihu._

_The fox shook her head. "Let's not talk about that right now…"_

_Mi Peng paused. "It's good to talk about your feelings. It releases stress." _

_The fire spirit snorted. "Whatever. You're a great friend, Peng, you're just so annoying!"_

_A smile played across Mi Peng's feathered face. "Come on. There's a small grassy field I found the other day. Maybe we can play Wing Tag."_

Chihu was climbed up a nearby large tree. At the top was a dark cave. As she made her ascent, a large brown wolf came stomping by.

"Chihu! Didn't see you there!" The wolf said in a deep voice. "W-Why are you going to see Koh?"

Chihu narrowed her eyes. "I'm helping a mortal get back to his world. Now IF you don't mind, I'd like to keep going."

The other spirit swallowed nervously as she turned away from it and kept walking.

_Chihu shot after Peng, her large wings stirring up a strong wind. She flapped them twice and sent the owl tumbling through the air with her gusts._

_The fox leaped upon the owl and brought it down to the ground, pinning it down. They stared at each other seriously, and then burst out laughing. _

"_I think you bruised my wing a bit." Mi Peng hooted, hopping up to examine his wing._

_Chihu smiled. "Thanks for today, Peng. You were right…it's good to let feelings out. And I'm so glad you're my friend. You've changed my life and…"_

_She cut off at the look of horror on her friend's face. _

"_Mi Peng? What-?"_

"_I sense Koh! Chihu, let's get out of here!"_

Straining her legs with each leap, the fire fox forced her way up the twisted roots of the gnarled plant.

When she reached the top of the tree, where the cave Koh lived in was, she paused to take a few deep breaths and straighten her face. Then she was ready to go in. "If he kills me on the spot, I hope Sokka still gets back to his friends okay." She said quietly and entered the darkness.


	6. The FaceStealer

**I'm updating? Since when do I update?! Call the news! **

**Okay, so I'm going to try my hardest to finish this, even though I totally forgot everything I had planned in the storyline…sad, isn't it? Wish me luck in my trying to remember…**

For animals, it is much harder than humans to not show emotion. Humans have it easy—keep a straight face and no one will know what your thinking. For animals, any movement can show emotion for them. The flick of an ear, the lash of a tail, the bristling of hairs…so when Chihu started walking into the darkness of the cave, she prepared herself to show no emotion.

She relaxed her ears and tail, and kept her eyes focused straight again, while making sure she didn't open them too wide nor close them too much. She smoothed her fur over, and when she was ready, she entered the deepest part of the cave.

She could hear a slithering noise and knew he was here. She held her breath, preparing to be killed. Instead, a rasping filled the cave. She realized with dread that Koh, the face-stealer, was laughing.

"I knew you'd come crawling back here eventually," Came his intimidating voice. He appeared from the shadows, his white head standing out in the gloom. She tried not to flinch at the sight of his spindly, centipede-like body. "Have you come back to work for me like you did so long ago? Admit it Chihu, we made a great team. You helped me gain many faces in the time we were together."

The fox was surprised by her own ability to show no reaction to his words. He switched his white face to a grave old man's face. He…or the old man…lifted a graying eyebrow to study the spirit before him.

"You look a lot weaker than I remember you. Is it because hardly any humans remember your tragic tale? Or is it that being good has worn you down?" When she didn't reply, he continued, "Or maybe I'm wrong…maybe you're not here for that at all. Maybe you're here…for revenge!"

The man's face disappeared as quickly as it had arrived, and was replaced by an owl's. The beak opened wide and let out an evil laugh.

Chihu's heart nearly burst from her bright orange chest. _Mi Peng…! _She tried not to let Koh know how upset she was. Instead, she acted as if she didn't care, and said simply, "If you're done talking, I'd like to make a request. I want you to open the portal that leads back into the human world."

Koh eyed her suspiciously, the giant owl eyes boring into her soul. "And what reason do you have for wanting me to do that? You are perfectly capable of entering the human realm yourself."

"Didn't you just say I looked a lot weaker than you remember?" She retaliated, "Trust me, I have my reasons. Now will you come and open it for me or not?"

Koh flipped his face to a beautiful maiden's. "You disappoint me Chihu. When you left me, I wanted so desperately to add your face to my collection. Yet, you are still as stubborn as ever. I suppose I will just have to wait…" The maiden's features smiled, "Meanwhile, I will come open the portal for you. I have nothing better to do. Who knows, maybe we'll pick up a face or two along the way, and you will be reminded of your old memories you shared with me."

Chihu didn't say anything. She turned away; ready to lead Koh back to where Sokka was when he called her back.

She turned around to see him with his original face on. He was smirking mischievously. "I know you miss playing with your friend." He hissed, "So would you prefer it if I kept his face on during our journey?"

He switched to Mi Peng's face. Then he proceeded to taunt her by saying in a squeaky voice, "Help me Chihu, help me! The face-stealers got my face!"

She blinked slowly, and said in a flat voice, "Keep your regular face on, Koh."

Koh snorted, and switched back to his old face.

_Koh towered above the owl and the fox. _

"_Chihu!" Mi Peng shouted desperately, "He wants your face!" _

"_Keep a straight face! Don't let him see your emotions!" Chihu said quickly to her friend, calming her emotions so her face wouldn't be taken. _

_Mi Peng fluttered nervously above her, and she tried her best to calm him. His eyes were wide—he couldn't stop looking so fearful. _

_The fire fox begged him to stop looking like that, that Koh would steal his face at any moment, but he wasn't listening. Mi Peng stared like a deer caught in headlights. _

_The face-stealer watched gleefully. Then he said evilly, "Chihu, give me your face, and I won't have to take your friend's."_

_She froze, staring at them in horror. Mi Peng screamed, "Fly, Chihu, fly!" She looked up to see him rising above her. She spread out her wings, but found that she couldn't use them. It all happened so quickly…_

_There was a flash of Koh's sharp leg and Mi Peng was falling, his wing broken and bleeding heavily. Koh struck out, the part where his face usually was, stood out empty. He fixed the gaping hole onto Mi Peng's brown, feathered face._

_A disgusting squelching noise could be heard throughout the small field. When Koh rose back up, he had an owl's face. Mi Peng's face. _

_Chihu couldn't believe it. She just stared, shocked by what had happened in a simple minute. Koh turned away, calling back, "You brought this upon yourself! You could have saved your friend if you weren't such a selfish monster!"_

_Koh disappeared. Chihu let her tail droop. Her wings fell limply to her sides. She padded over to Mi Peng's discarded body._

_It lay in a pool of its own crimson blood. Its wing was bent at an odd angle, and there was nothing where the face should have been. The body flapped its one wing wildly, struggling on the ground like a fish out of water. Chihu couldn't stand seeing her once-friend like this._

_She let the golden tears fall out of her eyes and land in the marshy grass beneath her feet. She found herself pitying the faceless body before her. Could her old friend hear her? Could it tell she was there? She stepped forward, closing her eyes._

_A whimper escaped her muzzle._

_She would have to end it._

_She concentrated her power. She formed a whip of fire in front of her and raised it high above herself. She looked at her friend one last time. "I'm so sorry Mi Peng." She said through her tears._

_Then she lashed out at him with the fiery whip, and Mi Peng moved no more._

**Aww...:( Please review or I might not update cuz of my other story.**


	7. The Decision

**Sorry, it's a short chapter. Actually, all these chapters are pretty short. They're about three pages long, while in my current story I'm writing, they're eight…so I guess I'm used to that. Enjoy! And the review button has a cookie for you!**

**Whoa...I saw the last episodes last night and it was just...wow. I'm so sad it's over, but I won't say anything for fear of spoiling it for those who haven't seen it.**

Sokka thought through the plan…Sokka _always _thought through plans. He was confident in his ability of making the perfect plan, but sometimes, even the perfect plan can go dreadfully wrong.

So when Chihu came padding through the forest with the creepy Koh crawling after her, everything in Sokka's mind went blank.

_Oh crap! _He thought wildly, _what was I supposed to do…? Right! The portal…aim for the portal!_ To comfort himself, he grabbed a nearby stick and held it tightly.

Koh crept forward and faced the odd pedestal-like portal. He stood there for a moment, and it began to shimmer. Sokka wondered if that meant it was open. He sat in the bushes, waiting…waiting…

Chihu was standing behind Koh. She whipped her head around, looking for any sign of the Water Tribe warrior. Sokka just sat there, staring. He was supposed to go! So why couldn't he make his legs move?

"Sokka! Now!" Chihu shrieked.

At the sound of her voice, Sokka forced himself to his feet and made a mad dash at the portal, waving the stick wildly above his head.

"Liar!" Koh spat, rearing up on the end of his legs, making him appear twice as tall.

Sokka raced towards the portal as the face-stealer shot towards him.

But he was way too slow and soon found himself pinned under one of the spindly legs of the evil spirit, inches from the portal to safety. Koh let out a long laugh, his faces switching so rapidly, his head was just a blur. Then it halted on his normal one.

"Look Chihu! You brought me a gift. How kind."

_Show no emotion! Show no emotion! _Sokka thought frantically, trying to straighten his face, but only succeeded in making a really weird expression.

Koh cackled even louder, "How entertaining! This face will be a wonderful addition to my collection, unless…" He turned to face Chihu, still keeping Sokka under him, "You would like to give yours as a substitute?"

Chihu didn't move. Sokka looked at her desperately, his eyes filled with a wild fear.

"No…" She whispered, "Not again."

Koh smiled, a sickeningly sweet smile, "It won't happen again, as long as you make the right decision this time: give me your face."

Sokka shouted suddenly, "Don't do it! After he takes yours, what's to stop him from taking mine too?!"

Koh punched him heavily in the chest with a leg, causing him to lose his breath. He lay there panting, eyes scrunched up in pain.

Chihu blinked slowly as Koh sneered, "Well it seems that not all humans are completely stupid. You have two choices Chihu: Let me take this boy's face and live with the guilt that you let another innocent person die, or let me take both of your faces!"

Chihu trembled with the weight of the choices on her head.

Couldn't Koh show any mercy at all? Why couldn't he just take her face and leave Sokka alone? Maybe, somehow, while Koh was stealing her face, Sokka would be smart enough to get away. But what if he wasn't? What if fear pinned him to the ground like one of Koh's giant legs?

The portal seemed so close, yet so far away…

_I don't want to ever cause someone to lose their face again! _Chihu's mind screamed, thinking about all the times she had helped Koh gain faces, and the time she had witnessed the downfall of her friend.

Koh had called her a selfish monster, but she knew she wasn't the monster. _He _was the monster and he had to be stopped. Maybe not stopped for all eternity, but stopped in taking the face of an innocent boy who accidentally wound up in the spirit world.

She heard a small whisper. "Chihu…" She looked around wildly, "Mi Peng?" But then it came again, and she looked at Sokka. He was gazing at her, his eyes pleading her to help him. There was a long pause.

Seconds felt like hours.

Minutes felt like days.

"What's your decision?" Koh asked, a smile playing across his lips.

The fire fox took a deep breath. "Neither!" She yowled, and leapt at the face-stealer.


	8. The Battle

**I can't believe it! I finished the story! This is the next to last chapter. I'm glad I was able to finish this before I lost interest in writing it completely. Enjoy the next to last chapter!**

Koh howled in agony, backing up, away from Sokka. Sokka looked up to see Chihu clinging to his back, her teeth locked in place as she breathed fire onto his skin. He shrieked, slithering all around, trying to throw her off.

He succeeded, but as he lunged for her, she spread her wings and took flight. In the air, she spat fireball after fireball at her attacker. Some of the flames scorched his skin, but the face-stealer wasn't so easily defeated.

He shook off the pain and, screeching, bounded after her with surprising agility.

Sokka watched all of this with shock. The portal was so close, but he had forgotten all about it, and was too busy watching the scene before him.

Chihu darted among the trees, her wings flapping loudly. Koh sped after her hissing. He snaked around her, lashing out. She was thrown backwards, but quickly recovered. When she looked up, Koh's face was a ghastly monster's face. Eyes leering, teeth gnashing, Koh went to grab Chihu in his teeth, but luckily, she was quick and agile.

He clamped down on her tail. She cried out in pain, and pulled away. Her tail was bent at an odd angle, but still, she continued the fight.

Flames rose around her and joined together to form the fiery whip she had used to end Mi Peng's life. She struck at Koh. He reeled back, his face letting out a gruesome growl.

She released the whip and it flew at him like a dagger, scorching his skin, yet barely doing any damage. There was no way she could defeat him unless he had a weak spot. Obviously, that weak spot was his face, but she was afraid to come to close.

Instead, she inhaled, fire building up in the back of her throat. She released a stream of the deadly heat, but Koh saw it coming and swung his head so it hit his armor-like shell harmlessly. She watched the fire disappear, but she would not give up.

She bounded forward, spreading her wings once more. She spit fireball after fireball at the defensive monster, which seemed to be growing more and more confident at her failed attacks. Shrieking, she went in for a frontal attack at his face, but he slithered under her. She went to turn, but before she knew it, he was looming over her.

With a triumphant bellow, he threw himself at her, striking her with his hefty body. She staggered in mid-flight, and plunged downwards. Sokka screamed, "No!" but it was lost in the noise of Koh's triumphant laughter.

Chihu hit the ground hard, her wings taking the impact, but almost instantly, she was on her feet again, but injured. Both wings were distorted, bent at strange angles. Slowly, painfully, she folded them flat against her back.

Koh eyed her hungrily, waiting for her to make an expression that would let him go in for the kill. Chihu, hissing, crept forward.

The two spirits circled each other, neither taking their eyes off the other. Koh slithered along the ground, eyes narrowed, mouth parted in glee. Chihu looked like a deadly wolf, baring her teeth as she glared daggers at her opponent.

Koh came forward, his face disappearing. Chihu heard the awful sucking noise as he aimed for her face. She met the onslaught, paws outstretched. She scoured her claws along the inside of the hole, bringing back out Koh's face.

The face-stealer howled at the pain as a purple blood oozed from the wound inside his body. He swung the front part of his body, knocking it into his opponent.

Chihu was thrown back, landing near Sokka and the portal.

"Chihu!" Sokka cried out, wide-eyed.

The fire fox's insides did a flip. "You're still here?" She hissed, forcing herself to her feet to limp towards him. "I thought you were supposed to be smart! Get in the portal, now!"

Sokka flinched at her harsh tone. Then the fox's golden eyes softened and she said more gently, "You need to go. I'll hold him off a little longer."

Sokka shook his head. "What about you? You aren't going to stay here, are you…?"

Chihu didn't answer.

"I'm not going unless you're coming with me," Sokka growled. "There's no way I can just leave you here. Not after all you've done for me. Besides, you're injured. More injured than Koh is anyways. He'll probably be over here once he's stopped freaking out about that wound of his."

They looked at the thrashing form of Koh through the trees.

Chihu shook her head, saying, "I have to go."

Sokka opened his mouth to protest, but she cut him off. "I'll be fine, Sokka. I promise. Wait for me after you go through the portal. I'll be there as soon as I can."

"No…" Sokka said.

Chihu nuzzled him and licked his face.

"I'm not leaving without…"

"See you in a little bit, Sokka."

And with that, she gave him a shove into the portal.

Sokka watched as the fire fox, his savior, disappeared.


	9. The End

**Aww! It's over! The last chapter…probably my most original story, but definitely not my best. Please check out my other stories in the future! As always, leave a review and tell me what you thought of this story. **

**Speaking of reviews, I'd like to thank all my nice, loyal reviewers! Here they are: ShadowDragon010, JumpJet, Bluetiger, Drager, and mdizzle! If you ever see these people around, just know that they're awesome. :D**

**And here it is! The last chapter of The Fire Fox!**

Sokka found himself back in the forest…or what was left of the forest, anyways. He looked at a bear statue in front of him, when he was reminded about the Hei Bai all over again. He sighed, leaning against the statue.

"That face-stealer makes Hei Bai seem like a cute fluffy teddy bear."

It was then that Sokka looked down at himself. He was tinged blue, and he could see through himself. "What the…?" He let out a high-pitched scream and fell backwards, trying to run away from his own body. Then he stopped himself.

"Okay, okay, calm down big guy. You have to wait for Chihu, remember? Then she'll explain why the heck this happened." He held a transparent hand in front of his face, observing it with disgust.

He waited for Chihu for wait seemed like forever…at one point, he thought he saw a blue spirit dragon fly by, but he just figured that he was seeing things. And so he waited for the little fox to appear by his side.

Day turned to night. The stars came out and he lay there, looking up at them.

After who knows how long, he looked down and saw his shoe was on fire! "Gah!" He tried to stamp out the little flame, but it refused to be put out. He rolled around crazily, making all sorts of weird screeching and shouting. Then the flame disappeared.

"Gotcha again." Came a voice from behind him and he turned to see Chihu. She was a transparent blue color, just like him.

"Chihu!" He exclaimed, overjoyed to see the spirit. Chihu smiled weakly.

"Did you kill him? Coconut?" Sokka asked, eyes as big as dinner plates.

She shook her head. "His name is Koh, Sokka. And no, he's too strong for me to handle, but I did give him some scars to remember me by. He won't be able to steal faces while those are healing." Her eyes flickered mischievously, reminding Sokka of her old, fun-loving personality.

"Um…I have a question." He said, pointing to himself. "About this…"

"You're in spirit form right now." She told him. "Hei Bai doesn't seem like he's ready to make you real. I can sense his presence…I think something may be happening in the village near here." She sniffed the air expectantly. "Come with me. I'll take you there."

Sokka nodded and they began to walk there. As they went, the warrior noticed how hurt the poor spirit was. She walked slowly with a limp, and her tail dragged on the ground. Her wings lay flat against her back, crippled. Blood and dirt made her silky coat look repulsive. Scratches and bruises dotted her skin, and fur had been ripped off in some places. She panted as she walked.

_I think this little spirit has taught me an important lesson… _Sokka thought, smiling to himself, _Heck, I'm not quite sure what it is…but she's taught me something._

"I can feel it. Hei Bai's rage is gone. He is willing to give back the people he took." She turned to Sokka. "This is where we part."

Sokka didn't believe her for a second. "What? What do you mean part?"

"I can't go back to the physical world with you." She told him, "I'm just not strong enough." She hung her head in shame.

"I can't just leave you like this!" Sokka said, looking at her wounds.

"Enter the village Sokka. You'll be real again…please, I'm not very good at goodbyes." She shuffled her paws. Sokka reached down and pat her fiery head. It felt warm, not like the searing heat of fire.

"Sorry Chi, but I'm not just going to leave you." Sokka said confidently, "Join our team. I'm helping the Avatar…you can help, too!"

She shook her head. "Look, if you don't leave, I will." She looked back up at him, ears pricked.

Sokka shook his head back at her.

"Okay fine." She said, a glimmer of amusement entering her eyes. "Catch me if you can!" She turned and raced away into a small bamboo forest nearby.

"Hey…hey, wait!" Sokka called, racing after her, startled by the sudden change in her attitude. As he kept running through the bamboo, he slowed down picking his way in between the tall plants. Then he found himself out of the dark forest in and the bright lights of the village. He walked out, rubbing his head in confusion.

Before he knew it, everyone was around him.

Chihu smiled, sitting back inside the bamboo. Her eyes sparkled happily. _Goodbye Sokka…I'll always be watching over you. _She thought, and turned to pad away to her next destination as a spirit.

Katara hugged Sokka, looking overjoyed. Through all the excitement, Sokka could barely make out what anyone said. It was then he made up his mind…he wasn't going to tell anyone about the little adventure he had been on. That was going to remain his secret forever. He felt himself snap back to reality when he heard his sister's voice.

"You were in the spirit world for 24 hours. How do you feel?" She asked, looking slightly worried. He turned and walked quickly away.

"Like I seriously need to use the bathroom!"

**The End**


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